The prior art is already aware of arrangements for governing engine speed in small gasoline types of engines, and these arrangements commonly utilize an air vane positioned to be under the influence of the air blown by the engine blower. That is, when the engine is running fast or faster than actually desired, then the air vane will be blown and will impose its movement upon the throttle plate to thereby move the throttle plate toward a closed position and thus reduce the engine speed. This of course is an automatic type of governor, and it is commonly used in the industry today and serves the purpose for reducing engine speed when there is no load or only a light load on the engine and the engine would therefore tend to run fast. Conversely, when there is an increase in the load on the engine, then the engine speed is slowed down and thus the force of the air blown against the air vane is reduced and in turn the air vane moves and controls the position of the engine throttle plate to move it toward an open position so that the engine can sustain its speed under load. Examples of the aforementioned type of prior art constructions are only generally and broadly disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,297,897 and 2,529,242 and 2,548,334 and 2,836,159 and 3,104,657 and 3,326,196. The prior art is also aware of carburetor or engine types of governors which do not utilize the air vane, and one isolated example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,837,070.
In the prior art, the engine speed is governed within a normal range of speed such that the governing is done automatically to have the engine sustain its speed within a normal range even though the engine is subjected to variations in load. Of course in these prior art arrangements, throttle levers are provided so that the operator can set the lever at say a mid-position of an overall range selection of engine speed, and the engine will tend to retain its speed at that position and will automatically counter the tendencies to vary the speed according to the load or no load on the engine. For example, a small gasoline engine used for a lawn mower may have a throttle lever setting of a range which will permit the engine to run from a low speed up to a speed of as high as 3200 revolutions per minute. However, there are instances where the operating conditions, such as the load on the engine, are such that it would be desirable to run the engine slightly faster for a short time and under unusual load conditions or the like. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an engine governor control which will permit the heretofore arrangement and function of the governing of the engine through its normal running range and which will also permit the additional upper speed for the engine. In accomplishing this objective, the present invention provides a governor control which permits the usual throttle lever use and manipulation for the normal range of engine speeds and which superimposes upon the control mechanism the arrangement for the additional or increased engine speed, all achieved through a control lever, and with the arrangement being such that, upon release of the control lever when it has once been placed in the range for the additional or super speed, the control lever will automatically return to its normal range position.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an improvement upon the heretofore known engine governor controls, and it utilizes the basic arrangement of the control known in the prior art and it superimposes upon that type of control an additional arrangement and feature so that the maximum performance and top speed can be obtained from the engine when such is desired.
The present invention therefore also provides an engine governor control which incorporates, a control lever or handle which controls the engine functions for stopping the engine and running the engine slowly and running the engine at intermediate speeds and running the engine at a fast speed and running the engine at a super-fast speed. As mentioned, all of these aforesaid engine conditions are achieved through the governor control of this invention and through the use of a throttle control lever or handle. Therefore, compared to the prior art, this invention provides an arrangement whereby there can be an instant increase in the governed engine speed and available power, and that is achieved upon actuation of the throttle control handle and it has an automatic return to a present condition, all while retaining the normal throttle control positions of that handle and the normal functions of the throttle as commonly utilized in the aforesaid prior art. Accordingly, the present invention accomplishes all of these functions through the utilization of a throttle control lever and no external or additional mechanisms are required for that type of control. That is, the present invention does not require any mechanism for spring-loading the throttle itself, and that would be the arrangement whereby the throttle lever is under the influence of a spring which overrides the governor mechanism.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings.